


The Heart of a Man

by KaytiKazoo



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Derek Has Feelings, Derek has a dog, Gen, Hale Family Feels, Minor Character Death, Minor Cora Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 16:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3985483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He loved that damned dog, the one that kept pace with him on runs, the one that lay on his feet at dinner, the one that curled up into Derek at night on the bed, and he hoped that maybe Desoto loved him too despite his failings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heart of a Man

_When I needed a hand, I found your paw._

His name was Desoto. He was a year and a half old. He was a blue-eyed snow white Siberian husky, and he was Derek’s best friend. He hadn’t been the runt of the litter, but he had been quite small when Laura brought him home, and since then, he had grown a lot. He was lean now, his fur coarser and less fluffed, and he stood almost as high as Derek’s hip. Laura, Derek thought one afternoon of watching Desoto throw his toy and then pounce on it, would barely be able to recognize the pup now.

Desoto was his last link to his life with Laura, his life in New York.

The pup had ridden the entire way from New York to California in the Camaro with Derek, and he had been the best sport in the world. He had slept on the passenger seat and had joyously stuck his head out of the window as Derek drove down long, straight passages of highway that cut through the terrain. He whined and scratched at Derek’s leg when he needed to get out for a while, to do his business or just to stretch his legs. Derek wasn’t sure he would have made it all the way back to Beacon Hills without that pup at his side, grounding him, anchoring him when all Derek had wanted to do was run and hide from the inevitable.

Desoto was a city dog, or had been for his entire life, so when Derek let him out of the Camaro into the Preserve, Derek wasn’t sure that Desoto knew what to do with all of the open space. He jumped out and trotted a couple feet from the car’s door, and stopped, sniffing and turning to look up at Derek expectantly. Derek smiled and dropped down. Desoto trotted over to him and nuzzled into his neck and chest.

“You wanna go for a run, Des? There’s so much space out here, we can run so fast and for so long. You want that?”

Desoto panted and licked Derek’s chin in response.

“Alright, come on,” Derek said, rising to his feet. Desoto jumped and twirled in circles, watching as Derek stripped off his shirt and shoes, then his socks, and tossed them into the Camaro. He stretched and laughed, watching Desoto mimic him as best as the pup could. He jogged to the edge of the clearing he had parked in, and Desoto followed. He started slow and eased his way through the winding trees, Des just at his side. He knew these trees by heart still, could probably navigate them through scent alone, he’d spend so much time in them growing up. He’d been gone for years, long enough that the forest had grown, as had he, but not long enough so that it was unrecognizable. He found the tree where Cora had carved her initials “CDH” into them that marked halfway from the stream to the house, and he found the thicket where Laura had gotten her hair caught during a full moon game of Hide and Seek (a game that Talia insisted they play to sharpen their senses), and he even found the treehouse fort he and Laura had attempted to build one summer during middle school, now dilapidated and rotten.

He found himself, as he often did, telling Desoto all of these little quirks about the Preserve that made this place his home once. Desoto listened, looking at Derek while he talked, and never wandered off like most dogs might. No, Desoto stayed, and paid attention, which is more than Derek could say about some of his prior human companions.

Laura was a good sport, but often grew bored and tended to change the subject to something more interesting, like race cars or explosions.

Peter had always been half-cocked with some scheme or plot, always in his own world.

Cora had been too young to care.

There had been Paige for a while, brilliant, stunning Paige with her rapt attention and beautiful sensitivity. They’d only been together a short, wonderful while before Derek had screwed it all up. Paige sat and listened to Derek when he talked, in between the kissing and the groping and the wonderful teenager things they did together.

Kate didn’t listen, and Derek didn’t talk. With Kate, all Derek wanted to do was take off all of their clothes. That also had ended in disaster for him, which was mostly his fault as well, trusting an Argent like that.

But Desoto, Derek thought as they crested the hill to the outlook point, always listened. He put his head into Derek’s lap and watched as he spoke, even if he didn’t know what Derek was saying. Or maybe he did. Maybe he knew and just couldn’t verbalize any response. Maybe he knew everything Derek had done, everything Derek had caused, and stuck around anyway.

Derek liked to think this was the case, even if it wasn’t.

He loved that damned dog, the one that kept pace with him on runs, the one that lay on his feet at dinner, the one that curled up into Derek at night on the bed, and he hoped that maybe Desoto loved him too despite his failings.

Derek brought them, after a while at the outlook point, to a lake with a small waterfall. They swam together for the better part of the afternoon, Des unfamiliar with swimming but picking it up quickly until he was paddling his way back and forth through the lake like he’d been born for it. When Des had had enough, he paddled his way to the shore and pulled himself onto the bank to shake out and dry his fur in the hot afternoon sun. Derek joined him, stretching out on the sun-warmed rock to dry off as well, just like he did when he was young.

“I always thought you’d do well in the Preserve,” Derek admitted to the pup. Desoto turned his head to face Derek, tipping his head to the side to listen better. “I never told Laura, but I planned on bringing you here when you were older. I just didn’t think that now would come so soon, you know?”

Des gave him those big, ice blue eyes and sighed like he knew.

“I wanted you to see where we grew up, Laura and me. It’s weird, I know, wanting your dog to see your hometown, but I would show this to my best friend, and you’re my best friend, Des.”

Desoto crawled closer on his belly and bumped his muzzle into Derek’s neck, then licked a long, wet stripe up Derek’s cheek. Derek laughed.

“Yeah, I love you too, bud.”

They lived at the old Hale house, in the burned out shell of Derek’s childhood. Derek felt bad that they were staying amongst ash and death, but Desoto didn’t seem to mind; all he cared was that Derek was there, and so was his food. Derek let Desoto roam the house and the yard and the Preserve at his leisure; Desoto always returned home eventually.

He kept Desoto away from the Alpha because that wolf had killed his _sister_ , he might kill his dog just for fun. He also kept him, and any knowledge of him, away from Scott and his nosey spaz of a friend, Stiles. He didn’t need those nitwits thinking he was soft because he had a dog, and the noisy human would definitely go there first. He was successful, considering Scott couldn’t discern the smell of a werewolf from the smell of a dog yet, and he carried a lint-roller in his car just in case spare Desoto hairs had clung to him.

He was successful at this, at least, if he wasn’t at anything else.

It was hard, almost impossible to keep Desoto away from his pack, though. He needed to be with the new wolves, with Isaac and Erica and Boyd, but he also couldn’t just leave Desoto alone for days at a time for the sake of training. Isaac and Boyd seemed indifferent to Des’ presence, but Erica adored him. In turn, Desoto loved Erica, mostly because she would sneak him treats when she thought Derek wasn’t paying attention. He was, but Desoto and he had moved to the train depot and it wasn’t any nicer than the Hale house ruins. Des deserved to have as many treats as he wanted, as many as Erica thought he deserved. If it were up to Derek, and it was, Desoto would have all of the treats and be roughly a thousand pounds. However, Derek knew that it was unhealthy for Des to eat all of the treats and held off.

Although, he was known for giving Desoto treats just for being alive and not tearing up his one piece of furniture.

He wasn’t the only one. In New York, before Peter rose from the near-dead and wreaked havoc on their family, Laura could be found slipping Des a piece of her food at every meal and then feigning innocence when Derek called her out of it.

It wasn’t until Derek had found Cora again that Scott and his chatty human sidekick, Stiles found out about Desoto. It didn’t matter, though, because Cora was home with him. His sister was there. His sister had come back from the dead, so to speak.

“Since when did you like dogs?” Cora asked as Desoto came streaking from his spot near the window and pounced at her. Des bowled her over and began giving her a tongue bath. She squealed and pushed him off so she could stand.

“Desoto! Sit!”

Desoto sat at her feet, looking between Cora and Derek, fluffy tail thumping expectantly on the ground.

“Laura got him for me, before we came back. His name is Desoto.”

“Laura’s alive?” Cora asked, eyes wide.

“No, she died. Peter,” Derek started but found he couldn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t tell his baby sister that her favorite uncle growing up had killed her oldest sister. The way Cora was looking at him, with her brown eyes wide and pleading for some answer. Derek pulled his courage together and just said, “Peter killed her to become Alpha.”

Cora didn’t ask any more questions after that.

Des seemed to like Cora more than anyone, besides Derek, and hung around her whenever they were in the same room together, and if they weren’t, he would trot to her so they would be in the same room. Cora talked to him the same way that Derek did, as if he could understand every word she was saying. It reminded Derek of how Cora used to cart around her bunny, Mr. Tickles, and sing to him when she was a toddler.

Desoto, unfortunately, liked almost anyone, which included Stiles. Stiles found a reason, annoyingly at first, to come around. He claimed that he thought he had left something at the loft, or that he needed a quiet place to do his homework. He often would just sit next to Desoto, who leaned his head on Stiles’ leg, and he did his homework. He was quiet about it, mostly, but Stiles was still in his home.

This meant that Derek watched, in horror, as Cora sank on Stiles’ other side and he showed her how to do part of their homework. She smiled at him, and nudged him as they bantered back and forth happily. Cora didn’t smile much, although she did more than any other living Hale, but Stiles made Cora light up in ways that Derek had never seen, even before the fire and their separation.

Derek had started to deal with Stiles, and Stiles was growing on him, but that didn’t mean that Stiles wasn’t an annoying little shit, and that didn’t mean that Derek liked him being in his home, rifling through his stuff. But if Stiles made Cora _this happy_ , he could deal with that. He really could. Because he loved two things in this world unconditionally; one was Desoto, and the other was Cora.

Derek met Braeden at what was simultaneously the worst and best time. She was this kickass, beautiful, terrifying woman who didn’t take any of his shit, and taught him to be human when he needed it. The bonus, on top of all of Braeden’s _many_ charms, was that Desoto loved her. Derek trusted when Desoto didn’t like someone, most of the time. There had been Jennifer, who got under his skin and tricked him, who Desoto had growled at so often that Derek had had to lock him in the bathroom when they were together.

He should’ve listened to those growls.

But with Braeden, Desoto knocked her down to give her slobbery kisses and climbed into her lap even though he wasn’t puppy-sized anymore. Braeden laughed and let Des flip upside down, petting and scratching his belly happily. He bounded up to her whenever he saw her, twisting and turning in circles until she paid him any attention. The only person that Des responded to like that was Derek.

The downside, though….

“Derek,” Braeden whined as Derek kissed down her stomach and edged open her legs. “Derek, your dog.”

Derek turned and found Desoto sitting at the edge of the bed, big white tail thumping wildly on the ground. He was staring up at them, big blue eyes wide as he watched, not caring that he was intruding. Derek groaned and pushed himself off the bed.

“Desoto, go lie down!”

Des stared at him with sad eyes before he turned and slunk back into the living room, crawling up to lie down on the couch. Braeden laughed and pulled him back to bed.

“I love that dog,” she told him.

“I love you,” he told her without thinking.

She grinned, kissed him, and whispered softly in his ear, “I love you, too.”

Of course, as he was cursed to never be happy, Kate came back.

She broke into his home, threatened his pack, and spread her scent over all of the things that Derek held dear in his life. She made every fiber of Derek’s being stand at attention, waiting for the moment when she would strike.

Derek was walking Desoto in the preserve, her scent still burning in his nose from being at the loft. Desoto never growled unless he felt threatened, not even when he was playing like some dogs Derek had met at dog parks. So, when Des crouched low and his lips curled back in a snarl, Derek’s hair stood up on end and his senses went on red alert.

“Well, isn’t that a cute little mutt?” Kate said from the shadows. Derek grimaced. She’d turned him into a cowering mess, as well as a teenager and then a defenseless human. He wasn’t going to allow her to take anything else from him, not again. “The dog’s pretty cute, too.”

Derek snarled, “What do you want?”

Kate chuckled.

“Oh, mutt, you know I don’t like loose ends, and you’re the loosest,” she said admiring a large machete that shone in the patch of sunlight.

“You think you can take me down, when you’ve failed so many times?”

“That’s right, isn’t it? You’re the survivor, aren’t you?”

She let out a dark laugh.

“Little orphan Derek Hale, always watching everyone you love about be killed while you can’t do a thing to save them. Helpless little Derek Hale, always burying the people he loves. Well, looks like it’s time to join your bitch of a mother.” Kate smirked and started lazily towards them when Desoto had had enough of her presence and launched himself at her.

Derek watched it play out in slow motion, too stunned to act as Desoto’s massive white body knocked Kate to the ground and he dug his teeth into her neck.

She let out an echoing scream, the trees hearing and replying with a reverberation.

She tried slashing at him with claws and her knife, but Desoto kept his jaw locked around her throat. He shook her as hard as he could, like Derek had seen him do with a toy before.

Her scream cut off with a wet gurgle and Desoto back away from her now limp body. He trotted back to Derek, front and muzzle soaked in blood, and Derek wondered how much of that was his.

Derek dropped down and Desoto licked his cheek, the scent of blood overpowering Desoto’s natural scent. Derek brushed his hands carefully over Desoto’s legs and then down his chest, searching for wounds.

The husky whined as Derek found a series of claw marks down one of his sides, and a missing patch of fur from where Kate had slashed him on the other. Derek pressed a kiss into Desoto’s forehead and picked him up, although Desoto hated to be carried.

Desoto whimpered and whined, trying to convince Derek to put him down, as Derek walked them back to the Camaro.

“Look, buddy,” he said finally, setting him down beside the passenger side door. “See? No more carrying. I promise.”

He opened the passenger side door and Desoto hopped inside, plopping his blood-streaked body into the seat, tail thumping excitedly and expectantly. Derek tucked his tail inside, and got into his own side.

“You’re not going to enjoy this,” he stated and drove them out of the Preserve and to the vet clinic. Desoto had never liked the vet, and often would ignore Derek after a visit. He didn’t like shots, or check-ups, and he definitely did not like the visit where Derek had him neutered. He didn’t pay Derek attention for three days after he came home from that visit. “Come on, bud.”

He let Desoto out and despite promising, picked him up and carried him into the vet, where a woman with a fussy cat shrieked upon seeing Desoto’s bloody front. Doctor Deaton came out to investigate, Scott following. They both pulled up short and looked from Derek to Desoto.

“Well, that’s a surprise. Come on back, Mr. Hale.”

Derek carried Desoto into the exam room, and set him on the table. He lay on his belly, refusing to look at Derek.

“What happened?” Scott asked.

“Kate tried to attack me, and Desoto didn’t like that. Kate’s no longer a problem,” Derek replied.

“We’ve thought that before, though,” Scott said, examining gently. “Looks like she did some damage to Des, but not too bad. I’ll just clean it, and bandage it.”

 Derek nodded and let Scott and Deaton work, petting Desoto, drawing some pain from him to keep him calm. Scott had a delicate touch, gentler than their last vet’s at least. Desoto rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes.

Derek rested his head against Desoto’s and whispered, despite the audience, “Thank you.”

It was just a normal Sunday. It was quiet on all supernatural fronts, with the pack inexplicably spending their free day hanging out in Derek’s loft. Cora made sandwiches for everyone, and Stiles helped, mostly so they could sneak kisses away from Derek’s line of sight. Lydia and Braeden were discussing some movie that had just come out, and judging its merits based on the book it had been adapted from. Kira was helping Malia with her homework while Scott read a book behind his girlfriend. Liam was playing some game on his phone while Desoto lay on his lap, cleaning his paws.

Derek stood at the edges, resting against the exposed brick wall, surveying.

“Hey big brother,” Cora said, passing him a plate with a sandwich on it. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just- I used to have nothing, after the fire. I had Laura, but that was it. Then Laura brought home Desoto, and I had him and Laura. It took me forever to get here, but I’m finally here.”

“Here being?”

“Happy. I’m happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just have so many feelings about characters with dogs.


End file.
